Valley Search and Rescue vying for new headquarters

CAMBRIDGE — Valley Search and Rescue has launched a campaign for a new building.

The present headquarters, located at the Kings County Municipal Airport Business Park in Cambridge, has been home to the team since 1977.

The building has no indoor parking for support vehicles.

“We’ve got to get these vehicles indoors to help us provide quick response to search emergencies,” said search manager Fred Bond.

During winter months, critical time can be lost clearing snow and ice from vehicles before setting out to a search site. Bond said it can take up to an hour to clear off the vehicles and get them warmed up and on the road.

“If we can save one life by getting these vehicles on the road sooner, it’s worth it.”

Valley Search and Rescue has seven vehicles that can be dispatched to a search site, including a command centre and personnel carrier, as well as logistics and medical aid vehicles. The team also owns a support van for the Project Lifesaver missing person team and two amphibious vehicles.

A new building would be in Kings County but not on the present site as additional land is required for training purposes.

“We’ve wanted out of here for some time,” Bond said. “This idea is really four years in the making.”

While the team does not have an estimated cost for a new building, they have a preliminary design that would include inside bays for all vehicles along with a meeting area. The proposed 900-square-metre building would be equipped with a generator for emergency electrical power.

There are 100 members volunteering for Valley Search and Rescue, trained in search management, wilderness survival, map and compass, first aid, wilderness and remote first responder techniques, amateur radio, canine search and other skills needed to perform rescues in Kings County and beyond.

The team plans to make funding proposals to all three levels of government.

“It would be nice if we could get something going this year,” Bond said.